"We were using a lot of canned vegetables and fruit," said Nenow, executive director of the nonprofit in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania. "Canned is good, frozen is better, but fresh is best and it really makes a difference."

Ross Marcus, a United Way board member and chairman of the Opportunity Investment Fund, said the healthy and forward-thinking plan caught the nonprofit's eye.

United Way rewarded Meals on Wheels with a $60,000 grant earlier this year to continue and expand the program.

"United Way solicited ideas from agencies that were innovative and this one stood out," he said. "From our perspective, this is exactly what we were looking for."

Fresh fruits and vegetables forgo the processing canned and frozen foods undergo. Recipients of the meals have noticed a difference.

"They can tell right away," Nenow said.

And the benefits go beyond the recipients. By purchasing food from local farms, Meals on Wheels is putting money back into the Lehigh Valley.

"We really made a concerted effort to provide healthy food and support our local economy," Nenow said.

Meals on Wheels of Northampton County gets its produce from three Lehigh Valley farms: Casa Bianca Farms, Scholl Orchards and Twin Maples.

The program's success has caught the attention of other companies. Wal-Mart provided Meals on Wheels with an additional $50,000 for new equipment to increase productivity.

"They gave us money to purchase equipment, things that would cut and chop and peel," Nenow said. "It was taking us three hours to chop six cases of cucumbers. With this machine, it takes 15 minutes to do six cases."

Meals on Wheels makes 1,800 meals a day for clients in Northampton, Monroe and Lehigh counties.